Dow will restart $250 million project, hire hundreds of workers

Dow St. Charles will restart one of the company’s two Olefin units and hundreds of construction workers will be needed for the project.

A Dow plant that was shut down in 2009 will be reopened by the end of 2012. The $250 million project will result in more than 50 permanent jobs and hundreds of construction jobs for the parish.

The plant is one of Dow St. Charles’ two Olefin units, which use hydrocarbon-based products, like natural gas, to create ethylene.

Tommy Faucheux, public affairs manager for Dow St. Charles, said that the factory was one of the original production units on the site, built in the late 1960s.

“It had gone through several refurbishments over the years, but in 2009 the company made the decision to shut it down - the original plan was for it to never be restored,” Faucheux said. “Earlier this year in late spring, the company decided they would restart it.”

Faucheux said the project will mean increased hiring and a greater investment in the area’s future.

“This year alone, we’re looking at 40 to 50 new jobs on this site by year-end,” he said. “The project…is obviously good for Dow and our people, but it’s great for the community as well.

“It will mean several hundred construction jobs and all that money is good for the local economy. It’s really a bright spot for us.”

Faucheux said that the two local Olefin factories are like “the backbone” of all operations.

“They take hydrocarbon speed stocks…and heat it up and crack it to make ethylene,” he said. “Ethylene goes into other production units on site to make chemicals…like those used to make plastics.”

Faucheux said that the company’s decision to invest in the restarting of this plant is also an investment in the long-term presence and growth of Dow’s St. Charles operations.
Dow is also getting ready to spend several million dollars to update its other Olefin plant with new technology to make it competitive for the long-term.

The company recently donated $870,000 to St. Charles Parish to help fund a new Emergency Operations Center building.